FAKE Fic: Home Away From Home
Title: Home Away From Home
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Ryo is working away from home for a few months, and since this is the first time he’s seen his lover in almost a month, he’s done his best to create a romantic atmosphere.
Word Count: 1440
Written For: Prompt: 129 - Candlelight at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
The apartment wasn’t the best, it was barely more than half the size of the one he used to share with Bikky, but if anything, Washington D.C. was an even more expensive place to live than New York, and beggars couldn’t be choosers. Besides, Ryo was only going to be there for six months, and most of the time he’d be at work. All he’d needed was a place to sleep and somewhere to hang his clothes. Small as it was, it still beat living out of a hotel. For now, it was good enough to call home.
There was a bedroom with ensuite bathroom, a living room smaller than his kitchen in New York had been, and a kitchen that wasn’t much bigger than a shoebox, but of all the apartments he’d looked at, it had been the cleanest, the most reasonably priced, and it had the added advantage of coming fully furnished. It wasn’t stylish, but it was comfortable enough.
It was also conveniently situated only half a mile from the precinct where the taskforce he’d been put in charge of had its offices, meaning he could walk to and from work each day. Any time off he got was reserved for sightseeing, so even then he’d mostly be out and about exploring the nation’s capital instead of staring at four drab beige walls and threadbare carpeting that had seen better days.
He'd been living in D.C. for three weeks before Dee told him during one of their nightly phone calls that he had a three-day weekend coming up and intended to spend it with Ryo. It would be the first time they’d seen each other in person since Dee had kissed him goodbye at the airport, and Ryo could hardly wait. He was sure Dee felt the same way, which was confirmed by his lover’s next words.
“I wanna spend every minute I can with you, so I’ll drive up Friday night, after work. I can bring the rest of your stuff with me.”
Ryo had been limited in what he could take with him on the plane, just enough to last a few weeks provided he picked up some new shirts, socks, and underwear once he arrived. The baggage allowance for business class travel wasn’t particularly generous, and he hadn’t wanted to take his car, intending to rely on public transport to get around.
“Thanks, Dee. I should warn you though, my apartment’s not much to look at.”
“Doesn’t matter, I’m not comin’ to review the accommodations. Long as it has you in it, and preferably a bed, that’s all I need.”
That assertion warmed Ryo’s heart. How he’d missed his lover over the long, lonely nights they’d been apart. After just under a year of living together, working side-by-side every day, and sharing a bed every night, since coming to D.C. he’d felt absurdly as though part of his own body was missing.
“Good. I feel the same way. Oh, almost forgot. I have an assigned space out back, so there won’t be any problem parking your car. You’ll just need to display my resident’s permit while you’re here.” Ryo gave his lover directions for how to access his building’s small parking area.
“Great! Means I won’t have to pay to park in one of the long-stay lots. Parking fees mount up fast.”
That conversation had been three days earlier, and since then, Ryo had been spending every free moment preparing for his lover’s arrival. He got off work early on Friday, headed straight back to the apartment, gave everywhere a last-minute clean and tidy, and set about preparing a special dinner. Once everything was as ready as it could be, he showered, shaved, dressed in comfy casuals, and set the small table for a romantic dinner for two, hoping Dee wouldn’t think it was too much.
Opening a bottle of red wine, he left it to breathe while he went around the living room, lighting the candles and tealights he’d arranged on every flat surface before turning out the overhead lights. The flickering candle flames gave the sparsely furnished room a warm, cosy ambience that it lacked beneath harsh electric bulbs, and he smiled approvingly. Dee should be arriving soon, assuming he hadn’t gotten stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Ryo opened it to find his partner standing there, grinning. Without saying a word, Dee swept him into his arms for a long kiss, and Ryo melted against his lover, winding one arm around Dee’s neck. He couldn’t imagine a better way of saying hello. Finally, Dee drew back a little to look at him, grin still in place.
“Hey. You miss me?”
Ryo grinned back. “Oh, only all the time. How was the drive?”
“It was okay. I got lucky for once; no holdups.” Tearing his gaze away from Ryo’s face and peering past his lover’s shoulder, Dee frowned. “What’s with all the candles? I arrive in the middle of a power outage or somethin’?”
“No, doofus! I was trying to create a romantic atmosphere. Don’t you like it?”
Dee chuckled. “I was just teasin’ ya. I love it, looks pretty.” He sniffed the air. “And whatever you’re cookin’ smells pretty damned good too. Missed your cookin’ almost as much as I’ve missed you.”
That didn’t surprise Ryo in the slightest. He’d often joked that the only reason Dee put up with him was because he knew he’d be fed.
“We can eat soon, but first we’d best unload your car and display my permit in the back window before you get ticketed. The last thing you need after coming all this way is a parking fine.”
“Yeah.” Dee reluctantly released his lover. “S’pose we ought’a get all that outta the way so we can make the most of the time we’ve got.” Dee waited patiently as Ryo slipped his feet into shoes and picked the parking permit up from the small table just inside the door, grabbing his keys at the same time.
“Shouldn’t take us long.”
Ryo was right. Fifteen minutes later all of Ryo’s things, plus Dee’s weekend bag, had been carried up the two flights of stairs to the apartment. Shutting and locking the door behind them, the two men kicked off their shoes, dumped the bags in the bedroom to be dealt with later, and Dee followed Ryo into the cramped little kitchen area, leaning on the worktop while Ryo checked on the beef casserole in the oven.
“Hope you’re hungry!”
Dee laughed at that. “Are you kiddin’ me? ‘Course I’m hungry, when am I not? Especially when you’re the one doin’ the cookin’. Always been blessed with a healthy appetite.”
“I noticed. Why don’t you pour the wine while I dish up?”
“With pleasure.” Dee hefted the wine bottle and filled both glasses, carrying them through to the table before returning to help his lover with the food.
As they settled down to eat, Ryo glanced ruefully at their surroundings; with Dee sitting across from him, larger than life, the apartment suddenly seemed even smaller. “This whole place could fit in our living room back home,” he commented, “but it was the best I could find on my budget.”
Dee looked around by the light of the twinkling candles. “I think it’s kinda nice. Compact and cosy.”
“You won’t say that when you see it in daylight,” Ryo warned. “Candlelight makes everywhere look better than it is.”
Dismissing Ryo’s concerns with a casual shrug, Dee smiled across at his lover. “Who cares what it looks like? We’re here, we’re together, and there’s a bed for later. I checked it out, and it seems sturdy enough.”
Ryo snorted a laugh. “Dee!”
“Hey, gotta keep my priorities straight.” Dee winked. “Besides…” Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, inhaling the delicious aroma of one of Ryo’s homemade pies that was warming in the oven for their dessert. “Smells like home to me, and so do you.” Leaning across the small table, he stole a kiss. “Wherever you are is where I wanna be, even if all I can have right now is a long weekend every few weeks. I’ll take that and be grateful, knowin’ you’ll be comin’ back home to me soon as you can. Love you, babe. No matter what.”
“I love you too, and I’m glad you’re here.”
Six months apart was nothing; they might not enjoy being apart, but they’d come out of this stronger than ever, with the rest of their lives to spend together. A love like theirs could survive anything.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Ryo is working away from home for a few months, and since this is the first time he’s seen his lover in almost a month, he’s done his best to create a romantic atmosphere.
Word Count: 1440
Written For: Prompt: 129 - Candlelight at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
The apartment wasn’t the best, it was barely more than half the size of the one he used to share with Bikky, but if anything, Washington D.C. was an even more expensive place to live than New York, and beggars couldn’t be choosers. Besides, Ryo was only going to be there for six months, and most of the time he’d be at work. All he’d needed was a place to sleep and somewhere to hang his clothes. Small as it was, it still beat living out of a hotel. For now, it was good enough to call home.
There was a bedroom with ensuite bathroom, a living room smaller than his kitchen in New York had been, and a kitchen that wasn’t much bigger than a shoebox, but of all the apartments he’d looked at, it had been the cleanest, the most reasonably priced, and it had the added advantage of coming fully furnished. It wasn’t stylish, but it was comfortable enough.
It was also conveniently situated only half a mile from the precinct where the taskforce he’d been put in charge of had its offices, meaning he could walk to and from work each day. Any time off he got was reserved for sightseeing, so even then he’d mostly be out and about exploring the nation’s capital instead of staring at four drab beige walls and threadbare carpeting that had seen better days.
He'd been living in D.C. for three weeks before Dee told him during one of their nightly phone calls that he had a three-day weekend coming up and intended to spend it with Ryo. It would be the first time they’d seen each other in person since Dee had kissed him goodbye at the airport, and Ryo could hardly wait. He was sure Dee felt the same way, which was confirmed by his lover’s next words.
“I wanna spend every minute I can with you, so I’ll drive up Friday night, after work. I can bring the rest of your stuff with me.”
Ryo had been limited in what he could take with him on the plane, just enough to last a few weeks provided he picked up some new shirts, socks, and underwear once he arrived. The baggage allowance for business class travel wasn’t particularly generous, and he hadn’t wanted to take his car, intending to rely on public transport to get around.
“Thanks, Dee. I should warn you though, my apartment’s not much to look at.”
“Doesn’t matter, I’m not comin’ to review the accommodations. Long as it has you in it, and preferably a bed, that’s all I need.”
That assertion warmed Ryo’s heart. How he’d missed his lover over the long, lonely nights they’d been apart. After just under a year of living together, working side-by-side every day, and sharing a bed every night, since coming to D.C. he’d felt absurdly as though part of his own body was missing.
“Good. I feel the same way. Oh, almost forgot. I have an assigned space out back, so there won’t be any problem parking your car. You’ll just need to display my resident’s permit while you’re here.” Ryo gave his lover directions for how to access his building’s small parking area.
“Great! Means I won’t have to pay to park in one of the long-stay lots. Parking fees mount up fast.”
That conversation had been three days earlier, and since then, Ryo had been spending every free moment preparing for his lover’s arrival. He got off work early on Friday, headed straight back to the apartment, gave everywhere a last-minute clean and tidy, and set about preparing a special dinner. Once everything was as ready as it could be, he showered, shaved, dressed in comfy casuals, and set the small table for a romantic dinner for two, hoping Dee wouldn’t think it was too much.
Opening a bottle of red wine, he left it to breathe while he went around the living room, lighting the candles and tealights he’d arranged on every flat surface before turning out the overhead lights. The flickering candle flames gave the sparsely furnished room a warm, cosy ambience that it lacked beneath harsh electric bulbs, and he smiled approvingly. Dee should be arriving soon, assuming he hadn’t gotten stuck in traffic on the freeway.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Ryo opened it to find his partner standing there, grinning. Without saying a word, Dee swept him into his arms for a long kiss, and Ryo melted against his lover, winding one arm around Dee’s neck. He couldn’t imagine a better way of saying hello. Finally, Dee drew back a little to look at him, grin still in place.
“Hey. You miss me?”
Ryo grinned back. “Oh, only all the time. How was the drive?”
“It was okay. I got lucky for once; no holdups.” Tearing his gaze away from Ryo’s face and peering past his lover’s shoulder, Dee frowned. “What’s with all the candles? I arrive in the middle of a power outage or somethin’?”
“No, doofus! I was trying to create a romantic atmosphere. Don’t you like it?”
Dee chuckled. “I was just teasin’ ya. I love it, looks pretty.” He sniffed the air. “And whatever you’re cookin’ smells pretty damned good too. Missed your cookin’ almost as much as I’ve missed you.”
That didn’t surprise Ryo in the slightest. He’d often joked that the only reason Dee put up with him was because he knew he’d be fed.
“We can eat soon, but first we’d best unload your car and display my permit in the back window before you get ticketed. The last thing you need after coming all this way is a parking fine.”
“Yeah.” Dee reluctantly released his lover. “S’pose we ought’a get all that outta the way so we can make the most of the time we’ve got.” Dee waited patiently as Ryo slipped his feet into shoes and picked the parking permit up from the small table just inside the door, grabbing his keys at the same time.
“Shouldn’t take us long.”
Ryo was right. Fifteen minutes later all of Ryo’s things, plus Dee’s weekend bag, had been carried up the two flights of stairs to the apartment. Shutting and locking the door behind them, the two men kicked off their shoes, dumped the bags in the bedroom to be dealt with later, and Dee followed Ryo into the cramped little kitchen area, leaning on the worktop while Ryo checked on the beef casserole in the oven.
“Hope you’re hungry!”
Dee laughed at that. “Are you kiddin’ me? ‘Course I’m hungry, when am I not? Especially when you’re the one doin’ the cookin’. Always been blessed with a healthy appetite.”
“I noticed. Why don’t you pour the wine while I dish up?”
“With pleasure.” Dee hefted the wine bottle and filled both glasses, carrying them through to the table before returning to help his lover with the food.
As they settled down to eat, Ryo glanced ruefully at their surroundings; with Dee sitting across from him, larger than life, the apartment suddenly seemed even smaller. “This whole place could fit in our living room back home,” he commented, “but it was the best I could find on my budget.”
Dee looked around by the light of the twinkling candles. “I think it’s kinda nice. Compact and cosy.”
“You won’t say that when you see it in daylight,” Ryo warned. “Candlelight makes everywhere look better than it is.”
Dismissing Ryo’s concerns with a casual shrug, Dee smiled across at his lover. “Who cares what it looks like? We’re here, we’re together, and there’s a bed for later. I checked it out, and it seems sturdy enough.”
Ryo snorted a laugh. “Dee!”
“Hey, gotta keep my priorities straight.” Dee winked. “Besides…” Closing his eyes, he drew a deep breath, inhaling the delicious aroma of one of Ryo’s homemade pies that was warming in the oven for their dessert. “Smells like home to me, and so do you.” Leaning across the small table, he stole a kiss. “Wherever you are is where I wanna be, even if all I can have right now is a long weekend every few weeks. I’ll take that and be grateful, knowin’ you’ll be comin’ back home to me soon as you can. Love you, babe. No matter what.”
“I love you too, and I’m glad you’re here.”
Six months apart was nothing; they might not enjoy being apart, but they’d come out of this stronger than ever, with the rest of their lives to spend together. A love like theirs could survive anything.
The End